Motivation is one of the prerequisites in Japanese learning. A student who excels, but does not have enough motivation, will definitely not achieve the results as expected. This study is conducted to explore the three phases of motivation in the learning of Japanese language as a foreign language using the Model of Second Language Motivations (Dörnyei & Ottó, 1998). A quantitative survey consisting of 4 sections with items on the demographic profile and 39 items via Google Form using 5-Likert scales were used as the instruments. Questionnaires were answered by 255 students from three clusters; namely the clusters of Science and Technology, Arts and Humanities, and Business and Administration in a public university in Malaysia. Findings revealed that learners have the highest motivation during the actional stage as curiosity-driven has intrinsically motivated them to learn. Learners' initial motivation has reversed when they reached the actional stage due to their stress about the tests or examinations. However, learners' motivation bounce back during the post-actional stage and they are confident they will perform an excellent job on their assessments or assignments. This study reveals that instructors have a role to play to keep students motivated throughout the process of Japanese language learning. Further research can be done on preactional, actional and post actional stages by looking at the influence of external motivation by associating it with cognitive, affective, situational or circumstantial factors that will support and complement this study.

Over the last decade, online learning has grown significantly as the internet and education have merged to provide people with the possibility to learn new skills. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, online learning, or studying at home has become more centric in people's lives. The pandemic has caused schools, universities, and businesses to operate remotely, which has increased the use of online learning. Foreign language learning is also no exception. The purpose of this survey is to find out how students feel about learning from home. This research is based on Alderfer's ERG theory, which proposes three sets of essential needs: existence (E), relatedness (R), and growth (G). A quantitative survey which consists of four sections with 30 items and a 5-point Likert scale was employed. The survey had 109 responses. Findings revealed that learners feel a sense of existence, relatedness, and growth during studying from home. The learners also agreed that the advantages of learning from home outweigh the disadvantages.

The reasons why people study foreign languages vary tremendously. Some are intrinsically, while others depended on extrinsic reward to begin their study. Past studies have shown that foreign language learners have display different types of fear throughout the learning process. Nevertheless, sometimes, the negative factors that cause their fear can sometimes be overcome by the positive factors that made them stayed on to the classes. This study is done to investigate the balance between the negative and positive factors that learners faced throughout their learning of foreign languages. 199 respondents who signed up for different types of foreign language courses in a public university in Malaysia. They responded to a survey with 49 items using 5 Likert scales. Findings revealed that the negative factors that hinder their learning are often offset by their positive factors and that made them stayed on. Findings feared most "negative evaluation" and "test". However, findings also showed their intrinsic positive motivation made them stay on.Contribution/ Originality: This study aims to understand the balance that learners fear of learning foreign languages can be balanced off by their positive motives. Instructors of foreign languages can use this understanding to focus more on the positive factors to help retain learners' interest.

The Nihongo Partner Program or “Japanese Language Partner” is a program that sends native speakers to support the teaching and learning of Japanese overseas. The program is fully sponsored by The Japan Foundation. The aim of this program is to create an environment that motivates the students to learn Japanese. This study is based on a survey of the Nihongo Partner Program conducted on students and language lecturers at UiTM, Shah Alam. This study aims to investigate if there is a necessity for native speakers to be involved in the teaching and learning of Japanese among foreign language learners. Analysis of the results showed that both students and lecturers are in dire need of the Nihongo Partner Program to navigate the learning of the Japanese language through a variety of language learning activities. The involvement of native speaker increases students’ confidence and motivation to converse in Japanese. The program also provides opportunities for students to increase their Japanese language proficiency and lexical density. In addition, with the opportunity to interact with the native speakers, students and lecturers will have a better understanding of Japanese culture as they are able to observe and ask the native speakers. Involvement of native speakers is essential in teaching and learning of Japanese in UiTM.

Research showed that learners faced negative and positive factors in learning a foreign language. The negativities may be the barrier for the students to succeed in the learning process. This research examines what makes the students stay in lectures and what elements could cause the students to quit. This research aims to investigate the motives/motivations that students encounter and whether these positive elements help the students overcome the fear and anxiety they face. This research adopted the quantitative approach. A survey is used as the instrument. A questionnaire with five sections on demography profile, motivation to learn, communication and apprehension, fear of negative evaluation, test anxiety was questioned by the students. Two hundred and twenty-one students from three disciplines in a public university in Malaysia participated in the questionnaire. The result shows that students do experience fear and anxiety during lectures. However, the desire to learn makes the students put in some effort to overcome the negative factors. When the desire to learn and the efforts are implemented in learning the Japanese language, students gradually feel comfortable and at ease when attending lectures. This research indicated that fun and interactive activities and an enjoyable lesson should be planned to assist students to overcome the negatives and succeed in mastering the language.